Background: Intravaginal rings (IVR) for HIV prevention will likely be used by women on depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) hormonal contraception. We used pigtailed macaques to evaluate the effects of DMPA on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) IVR pharmacokinetics and viral shedding.
Methods: Mucosal tenofovir (TFV) levels were compared in SHIVSF162p3 -negative DMPA-treated (n=4) and normally cycling (n=6) macaques receiving TDF IVRs. Plasma viremia and vaginal shedding were determined in groups of SHIVSF162p3 -positive DMPA-treated (n=6) and normally cycling (n=5) macaques.
Results: Similar median vaginal fluid TFV concentrations were observed in the DMPA-treated and cycling macaques over 4 weeks (1.2×105 and 1.1.×105 ng/mL, respectively). Median plasma viremia and vaginal shedding AUC of the DMPA-treated (2.73×107 and 8.15×104 copies/mL, respectively) and cycling macaques (3.98×107 and 1.47×103 copies/mL, respectively) were statistically similar.
Conclusions: DMPA does not affect TDF IVR pharmacokinetics or SHIV shedding.
Keywords: DMPA and HIV; SHIV; mucosal HIV shedding; nonhuman primates; tenofovir pharmacokinetics.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.